A Valentine Morning in Maine

After yesterday's snowfall, it was a beautiful winter Valentine's Day morning here in Maine. 

 I love coming up with little unexpected holiday surprises for people I love;

today was delivery day!

 So I left 22 Applegate Lane early with my little red mini-Cooper full of  Valentine treats.

My first stop was Dunkin' Donuts to wish "the regulars" a Happy Valentine's Day and bring a jar of candy to my  coffee-friend, Sue.

Then I headed to my daughter's group home. She and her housemates celebrate every holiday with gusto and were excited with their Valentine goodies. (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the annual favorite!)

Next, I stopped at Plummer School to bring a rusty Valentine lock to my friend, Mary Elizabeth (she loves rust!) and then two more bags of candy to "the sisters", Margaret and Jo.

My route took me from my house (the red dot below), past our local landmark, The Town Landing Market (on the corner where the red line turns right), down to the ocean.

I decided to stop in to the Town Landing Market to warm up.

No "Native Ice Cubes" needed today!

But fresh Hazelnut coffee hit the spot!

It was a little early for a  lobster roll, as tempting as that was!

Since it was a little too cold to enjoy my coffee outside . . .

I headed down the hill   . . .

to the Town Landing, our municipal marina and beach area.

What a beautiful morning at the beach!

The little "hump" you can see in the distance is a small island (one of 360  "Calendar Islands" in Casco Bay) called Fort Gorges.  

It seems that Portland's famous "Valentine Bandit" made it out to the island before dawn to decorate the old fort for Valentine's Day.

Back at the Landing, things were quiet, waiting for Spring.

It was low tide

and the snow was taking turns  on the beach with the ocean water.

I feel so lucky to live within walking distance of Casco Bay and the Landing. 

I'm not sure I could survive without being able to smell the sea.

But, after a very cold morning, it was good to get home. 

My plan for the afternoon was to make some tea, read in "my chair" and work on my blog - 

with the fireplace going, of course!

Happy Valentine's Day from Maine!

12 Uses for a Vintage Washboard

When my friend, Mary Elizabeth, decided she was Moving To a Schoolhouse last month, she had to downsize in earnest. One of the (very few, honest!) things I rescued from her trash pile was a rusty old washboard.  And it didn't always look like this:

Here's how this little project started out. It was dirty and had so much rust on it that the interesting old lettering at the top was impossible to read.

I Googled " natural rust removers" and chose to try white vinegar and lemon juice. With the help of steel wool, a wet sanding block, and lots of elbow grease, they worked. I left on some rust just because I liked it! It was a messy job and it's freezing here in Maine right now so I did it at the kitchen sink after lining the counters on both sides with thick newspaper.

After most of the rust was removed. I rinsed the area well and set the washboard to dry overnight in front of our fireplace. The next day, I "prettied it up". The first step was oiling, and adding a little color to, the dry wood. I used Old English (Dark) for that. You apply it with a damp cloth and rub your brains out until you get the finish you like!

I let the Old English soak in and dry for an hour or two before completing the piece. I found this little wire basket at TJ Maxx for only $3.99 and purchased it to attach to the washboard (somehow!) to make it more functional. These baskets are pretty easy to find; I've also seen them at Home Goods and online.

I attached the basket with two small brown nails which I hoped would show - they didn't.

Then I just played around adding things that I thought would give this little project more uses: two antique coat hooks,

a wire across the front (you could use twine instead) to clip things to with mini-clothespins, and  two small screw eyes and wire across the back for hanging the piece from the wall.

And Voila! Done!

Now for the fun part: Staging it. I had so many ideas for how to use this little washboard turned wall art that my head was spinning! 

So here you go: My "Top Twelve" Ideas for Using a Repurposed Old Washboard (I bet you'll think of lots more!):

#1.  Storage for Hats, Mittens, Scarves in the Mud Room

(I'm writing this the day after the Super Bowl and we live in New England, so "Go Pats!")

#2.  Dog Accessory Organizer in the Mud Room

No staging on this idea because we no longer have a dog. But since we did have a Beagle, here's a cute one! My idea was to hang leashes from the coat hooks and use the wire basket for dog treats, a roll of doggie "poop bags" etc.  You'll have to use your imagination!

#3. In the Laundry Room

A great place for lost socks and odds and ends of laundry supplies. Plus - how cute would this be on the laundry room wall?

#4. In the Guest Bathroom

(Heck - why not spoil yourself and hang it in your own bathroom!)

#5.  To Organize Your Greeting Cards  & Mailing Supplies

#6. To Display Plants, Inside or Out

I love this idea!

#7.  As a Reading Corner Next to Your Favorite Chair

#8.  To Display A Hobby or Collection

#9. In the Sewing Room

#10.  In a Farmhouse Kitchen

                            #11. To Display Favorite Dishes in the Dining Room

#12. And, of course, As a Message Board

I like all of these ideas so much that I think I'll have to hit the dump and flea markets and find myself eleven  ten (no dog!) more old washboards!

I can't wait to hear your washboard ideas. 

Leave me a comment?

p.s. My friend and felter-extraordinaire, Kathleen, just sent an e-mail comment on this post which included a photo of what she does with old washboards: felt on them, of course! Here is her latest creation, "Chloe". A work of art. Wow!

This post is linked to:
Inspire Me Tuesday #487 at A Stroll Through Life
Amaze Me Monday #300 at Dwellings
J & J Link Up Party #178 at Plucky's Second Thought
Homestyle Gathering 4 at My Wee Abode
To Grandma's House We Go Link Party #125 at Chas' Crazy Creations
Thursday Favorite Things at Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Best of the Weekend link party at Calypso In the Country
Flaunt It Friday #434 at Chic On A Shoestring
Farmhouse Friday Link Party #92 at The Painted Hinge
DIY Salvaged Junk Projects #464 at Funky Junk Interiors
Vintage Charm Party 169 at My Thrift Store Addiction

Antiquing in North Carolina

After a long drive from Nashville, today was our first full day in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Our campground is in Swannanoa, just outside of Asheville.

We managed to spend most of the day in the neighboring village of Black Mountain, N.C., which is dotted with cafes and quirky little shops. It still has its old railroad station and . . . tada! . . . antique shops along quaintly named "Cherry Street".

In the first shop we visited, I found this rusty metal basket, which will be perfect for holding some of the larger whelk shells DH and I collected on our recent sunrise beach-combing adventures in St.Augustine

In another shop, I spotted these big enameled numbers. Since there happened to be two "2s", I had to have them for the front of our red garage.  They're probably repros but for $4.00, they'll work.

My favorite find was these vintage Bingo cards, a pack of 24 for $8.00.

I know just what I'll do with them . . .

Last November some girlfriends and I saw these at a wonderful vintage shop in Maine called My Sister's Garage.  Now we can create our own!

On our way back to camp, we screeched into visited this shop right in Swannanoa.

I'm really glad we almost killed outselves making the turn stopped in.

Because DH spotted two large pieces of M.A. Hadley pottery which I don't already have in my collection.  The first is this cookie jar.

The inside is the best part.

The second piece is this milk pitcher. I tilted it so that you can see the signature on the bottom.

After some dickering, we got both pieces for a very fair price.

Since this was the last stop for today, the markings on the bottom of the pitcher seem appropriate:

"The End".

I was going to stop with "The End" (a pretty logical place to stop after all) but I had to include just one off-topic photo. This is the view from the back window in our little Casita. We start and end our days with the sound the the river, the quacking of the ducks who live along it, and a beautiful view of the Smoky Mountains.

Perfect!

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Flaunt It Friday at Chic On a Shoestring

Spring & Easter Blogger Party at Decor to Adore